My Top 200 Tweeters of 2018

I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. It can be the most amazing communications method, and when there's a breaking news story it is totally invaluable. But it's also become a sewer, which allows people to hurl abuse and rudeness around without fear of consequence. This year I've used the 'block' and 'mute' buttons like never before. And I see it getting worse next year. If I didn't do the job I do, where it's a vital medium to use, I suspect I'd be within an inch of coming off it. In the end, however, it's up to all of us to police it. And also restrain ourselves. I'm better at that some days than others. Avoiding rising to the bait is something I have never been good at!

Each Christmas I compile a list of people whose tweets I have most enjoyed during the previous 12 months. This is the fifth year I have done this. I follow about 3000 people on Twitter, which is far too many to be honest, but I whenever I try to cull the number I end up giving up because it’s so difficult.

Anyway, these are the ones who have entertained, informed, educated, annoyed and, most of all, made me laugh most this year.

It’s not meant to be a list of best Twitter feeds on the internet – it’s just the ones I particularly enjoy.

This year I have expanded the list to 200 and I've also added 50 news feeds on Twitter which I follow.

Last year I got a bit of criticism because of the number of women included in this list. Thus year the number has increased to one third - still far too low, but it's more than the per centage of female MPs in Parliament!

If I follow you but you’re not on the list, don’t feel bad. There’s always next year! The fact that I follow you in the first place means I find you interesting!

But let's start off with my...

TOP TEN TWEETERS OF 2018

@ChrisMasonBBC - Political Correspondent, BBC News

@BethRigby - Deputy Political Editor, Sky News

@JessPhillips - Labour MP

@Steven_Swinford - Deputy Political Editor, Daily Telegraph

@SamCoatesTimes - Deputy Political Editor, The Times

@OwenJBennett - Political Editor, CityAM

@JaneGarvey1 - Presenter, Woman's Hour, Radio 4

@AdamLake - Public Affairs specialist

@MartinRadio - LBC listener

@Tracey-Crouch - Conservative MP

So, in no particular order, here's my list of 200…

PRINT JOURNALISTS (44)

@MrTCHarris – Former Labour MP, Telegraph columnist

@MatthewSyed – Times Journalist

@GeorgeWParker - Political Editor, FT (NEW)

@PickardJE – Jim Pickard, FT political journalist

@IsabelHardman - Assistant Editor, The Spectator

@BenGlaze – Mirror political reporter

@AsaBenn – Brexit Commissioning Editor, The Telegraph

@ChrisDeerin – Journalist, Scottish Daily Mail

@ShippersUnbound – Political Editor, Sunday Times

@ZoesqWilliams – Columnist, the Guardian

@AllisonPearson - Telegraph Columnist (NEW)

@JohnRentoul – Columnist, Independent on Sunday

@Y_Alibhai – Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The ‘I’ Newspaper

@GrantTucker – My former PA & Entertainment editor for The Sunday Times